Double play: Eilen Jewell at Johnny D's, Sarah Harmer at the Paradise, Nov. 6, 2010

Sarah Harmer at the Paradise

Ever have one of those nights where plans seem to just magically work, no matter what they are? Last Saturday, as much as a month ago, was tagged as a "tough call night" as to which show we would attend: Eilen Jewell at Johnny D's, Sarah Harmer at the Paradise, Dawes at Royale... and there were more. But since a good friend was leaving for Nashville, country seemed like the right choice, so Eilen got the nod. After diligently checking the schedule, we learned she was playing an early show... and if we could somehow make it from Somerville to Comm. Ave in Boston, we might be able to catch Sarah Harmer as well.
Let's just say this was not a sure thing. First, there's parking... or lack thereof. In Somerville it's either get ticketed for a meter space that runs until 8 (we were at the club at 5:30 to get our great spot for the show; FU, Somerville!) or try your luck in a city permitted space (maybe our car won't be there when we get back; double FU!). Then if your car is intact (no ticket, no towing!), you have to make it cross town (through Harvard Square, without hitting pedestrians) and find, yes, another spot on Comm. Ave (BU hockey game just ending) close enough to the Paradise to make it for Sarah's 10:30 set.
Let's just say we were standing in front of the stage at 10:20, beer in hand, as her equipment was being set up.
OK, now for the shows!
Eilen and her band had just returned from a European tour and were genuinely delighted to be home. The show was originally billed as a tribute to Loretta Lynn, based on her most recent release called "Butcher Holler." But it was clear from the start that they weren't sticking to the program. Her set was loose and fun and filled with songs from all her albums. The crowd, a surprisingly older-aged (40s and 50s), were in a dancing mood, which is perfect for Eilen's music. Her sound which ranges from straight-ahead country to early'60s-era rock fit the bill.
Some of the highlights included Lynn's "Fist City" (a crowd favorite), some great country shuffles "High-Shelf Booze," "Rich Man's World," and "Dusty Boxcar Wall" and some down and dirty rock tunes from her "Sea of Tears" album, like "Sweet Rose" and "I'm Gonna Dress in Black."
Her band, of course, is top-notch, especially guitarist Jerry Miller, who is a monster.
She finished the night with Miller going off on "Shakin' All Over," as he spent his 5-minute solo referencing songs from Creedence to the Beatles to the James Bond theme and more. It was dazzling. A quick encore break and they finished off by getting the crowd up and dancing on "Mess Around."
Then after a little crosstown traffic (the real kind!), it was time for Sarah Harmer.
It was clear from her setup that Sarah was gearing the night to a more electric set. I loved "I'm a Mountain," and less love her new album, "Oh Little Fire," but this would be a good test of that material. Live, the new material sounds very close to fellow Ottawa native Kathleen Edwards, which is a good thing.
One thing that is clear no matter which songs she sings: Sarah has an amazing voice. She hits notes that skitter upward in scale with beauty and depth. That is, in fact, what separates her from Kathleen Edwards, who doesn't have that range.
She played a lot of the tunes from the new album, including "Silverado," "Careless," and One Match," which actually fit in well against some her older material including "Almost" and "Pendulums" (from the album "All of Our Names") and "Basement Apartment" and "Lodestar" (from You Were Here"). She did one song, "The Ring," played solo with her backup singer Julie Fader, from "I'm A Mountain." From that and other tunes, it is clear that Sarah is pretty adept on guitar as well. She had a full band – drummer, guitarist, bassist – but allowed herself a little plucky solo on "One Match."
The crowd, a little sparse, was enthusiastic and Sarah seemed genuinely happy for the support.
For more of my Sarah Harmer pics, click HERE (my Eilen pics sucked!)

A video from the Eilen Jewell show (not mine)

A video from the Sarah Harmer show (not mine)

Issue 24, March 2009

WINTER THAW - Our CD review special Skating, skiing, sledding, snowflakes quietly descending on fields and trees, icicles sparkling in the sun ... shoveling, falling on black ice, heavy boots, gloves, hats, below freezing temperatures for a dozen days straight...
OK, you get my (snow) drift: Winter, as beautiful as it can be, is a long drag of a season. What is fun and even inspiring in November and December basically sucks by February and March – and don’t get us started about this past January.
But we New Englanders are a hearty sort (so they say) and we know how to make the best of the coldest, most miserable months of the year.
Yeah, for us it’s finding ourselves a warm club, a Guinness, and a killer band. Give us Johnny D’s on a Saturday night with Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles ripping it up on stage. Throw in some sweet potato fries and don’t bother sending out a search party.
We actually did that recently and we’re much better for it. The next day it was nearly 50 degrees and our whole attitude changed.
Hearing music thaws the brain. So this issue we set out to melt our winter blues with a slew of new tunes.
There are lots of new albums coming out, and some that have been out for a bit that we hadn’t caught up to yet.
Tops on our list is Eilen Jewell’s “Sea of Tears,” due in April. And Sarah’s new album, “The Stars Are Out,” is out this month.
Another group, who we have not seen live yet, is Sometymes Why, a trio of women who play in other bands we like. Their new album, “Your Heart Is a Glorious Machine,” is a treat. We also love to “find” albums by musicians who many have not heard of yet. So we are offering some info on the music of Seattle songwriter Ali Marcus; singer Marybeth D’Amico, who lives in Germany; and a Nashville group called the Bittersweets.
Take a listen, and come and find us when the snow melts.
To read the full issue, click HERE.
To read the reviews online, click HERE.

MA 5 - Songs
Songs that helped us survive this issue.
1. “Drunken Angel,’’ “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” Lucinda Williams. We don’t know why, it just always pops into our heads.
2. “Rain Roll In,” “Sea of Tears,” Eilen Jewell. Bringing back that great 12-string Byrds sound.
3. “Melt Your Heart,” “Rabbit Fur Coat. Jenny Lewis. Just a sweet tune.
4. “Mission in the Rain,” “Reflections,” Jerry Garcia. Makes us want to see California through his eyes.
5. “Goodbye, San Francisco,” “Goodnight, San Francisco,” The Bittersweets. Continuing our Bay Area jag.

Sarah Borges -- live

Thought I'd write a little companion piece to my guest blog at Mainstream Isn't So Bad... Is It? By the way, if you haven't seen Sean's always cool music blog, you should check it out. He always is posting new and upcoming bands. It's a great way to keep informed.
So on his blog, I wrote about Sarah Borges' new album The Stars Are Out, which drops on March 24. I wrote that post a few days before I caught her at Johnny D's in Somerville. By the way, consider this a big plug for Johnny D's, one of my favorite hangs when I need a music fix. The food is great, and the venue is set up perfectly for a show.
As for Sarah and her band the Broken Singles, they still bring it. They played a good portion of their new songs, but also delved into their two previous albums for songs like "Daniel Lee," which was smokin', and "Modern Trick," one of my favorites.
According to Sarah, this was the first gig at Johnny D's with new guitarist Lyle Brewer. He is a nifty guitar player, playing some really hot licks and some nice subtle touches as well. I have to say I did miss former guitarist Mike Castellana's pedal steel, which always added some country flavor to the songs.
But this is a bar band that knows how to party. The hometown crowd was totally into it -- even Sarah's dad was there. I was able to nab a couple of decent photos from the show, the one above shows Sarah rocking her little green dress, and below, she and Binky, her bassist, are down on the floor playing each other's instruments.
In all, a really fun time.
To view all my pics from the show, click HERE.


A little clip from the show

Mesmerizing Night

I've been blogging a lot lately about Kris Delmhorst, but she deserves it. A couple of nights ago, I caught her and Winterpills at Johnny D's in Somerville, and once again she stunned me with her beautiful voice and songs. She was debuting many of the new songs of her album "Shotgun Singer," a mesmerizing group of tunes. The band Winterpills (below), out of Northampton, opened the show. They have a great sound, though it is very low-key. They came to life when they rocked out though it wasn't often enough to my liking.
They joined Kris as her backing band (top) for her set. If you read the interview I posted earlier with Kris you know that she wrote and created many of the songs herself in solitude. So the addition of a band really brought these songs to life. And speaking of life, Kris, as you may see in these pictures, was quite pregnant. I was impressed that she stood and played the guitar the entire time she was onstage, probably an hour and a half or more!
Anyway, it was a wonderful show. My wife and parents were with me and we got to move down front for Kris' set when they brought the tables back. Kris said she wanted a more intimate show and figured there wouldn't be much dancing during her set.
I shot two crummy videos (new camera woes). You can find them HERE and HERE. I also had to use a nightshot setting so I could see out of the viewfinder (not good) so that's why some of the photos have a weird black and white thing going on.
For more pics, click HERE.